On Monday night, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham dropped one of the nuttiest, craziest, most cuckoo stat lines in recent memory, scoring 46 points on 45 shot attempts.
Yikes. As Charles Barkley might say, Steph Curry is rolling over in his grave.
The fifth-year man hit 14 of his 45 shots, but did most of his damage from the charity stripe, where he poured in 16-of-18. The fact that he managed 11 assists makes the whole thing even weirder — all of which is why it’s time to see what's up with the Detroit Pistons.
Arguably the weirdest part of Monday’s game was that the 9-2 Pistons needed overtime to beat the 1-10 Wizards. But on any given night, amirite?
Let’s break down what we’ve seen — and what we might soon see — from the Motor City maniacs.
Here’s why the Detroit Pistons are (usually) legit:
1) Cade Cunningham is Really Good, Even When He Goes Full Wilt
Dig this fun one: In the 1961-62 season, Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain — the ball-hoggiest ball hog in NBA history — averaged 39.5 shots per game, one of the four seasons in which he topped the big three-zero.
Monday evening, Cade put the Big Dipper to shame, so if nothing else, the 24-year-old deserves props for gumption, if not, as noted, weirdness.
That said, Cunningham is having an All-Star campaign, averaging career-highs in points (27.5), assists (9.9), and minutes (37.0). For the sake of comparison, OKC PG and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posts 33.2 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 34.8 MPG. It’s not super-close, but it’s not not super-close.
It makes sense, then, that Cade is squarely in the MVP conversation, with Vegas giving him a +3000 shot at bringing home the hardware, behind Gilgeous-Alexander (+240), Lakers G Luka Doncic (+300), Nuggets C Nikola Jokic (+450), Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo (+500), and Spurs C Victor Wembanyama (+650).
Another thing worth noting is that Cunningham looks to be more swole than he has in his entire professional career — he was kind of a stringbean his first couple years in the league — and a potential newfound durability could allow him to play 75+ games for the first time in his NBA life. If he can remain on the court, the Pistons could be in the mix for the top spot in the East.
Detroit Pistons G Cade Cunningham’s PrizePicks Projection vs. Bulls For 11/12/25: 28.5 Points,.5.5 Rebounds
2) Ausar Thompson's Ball-Hawking Helps Overcome the Bad Stuff
The Pistons are the NBA’s version of the gang who can’t shoot straight.
They’ve averaged the third-fewest made 3s in the Association (10.7), they’re second from the bottom in FT% (73.3), and they rank 19th in 3PT% (34.2%).
But thanks to their sixth-ranked scoring defense, their 10.2 steals per game (third in the league), and their eighth-ranked point differential (+5.2), they have the freakin’ second-best freakin’ record in the freakin’ league.
Deeee-troit. Baaaaasketball.
3) Whupping the Wiz, Nets, and Jazz
Admittedly, Detroit's schedule, to this point, has been cake: In their seven-game winning streak, they’ve beaten Washington, Brooklyn, Utah, Memphis, and Dallas, which boast a combined record of 12-41.
But you have to win the games you have to win, and the Pistons have been doing just that.
They face Chicago tonight and Philly on Friday, so we’ll soon see if Pinocchio is a real boy.
Detroit Pistons F Duncan Robinson’s PrizePicks Projection vs. Bulls For 11/12/25: 14.5 Points, 1.5 Rebounds
4) Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris Own the Paint
Monday’s Cade-fest was an anomaly, as the Pistons are a ball-sharing batch with six rotation players averaging double figures in points, those being Cunningham, C Jalen Duren (19.4), G Ausar Thompson (13.9), F Tobias Harris (13.5), F Duncan Robinson (11.4), and C Isaiah Stewart (10.7).
Cunningham is the only player on the team who could legitimately be called a distributor; his 9.9 APG are ahead of second-place Ausar Thompson’s by 6.5.
But they’re somehow getting it done, so bully for them.
Detroit Pistons C Jalen Duren’s PrizePicks Projection vs. Bulls For 11/12/25: 20.5 Points, 13.5 Rebounds
5) Can Cade Continue?
Outside of an increasingly difficult schedule, a major concern has to be Cunningham’s minutes.
He’s currently averaging 37.0 MPG, the most of his career, and the second-highest in the league, just about one second behind Doncic.
And if he keeps chucking up 40+ shots a game, well, suffice it to say that a few more trips to the weight room and the All-Star break can’t come soon enough.
Tonight, the Pistons stare down the Bulls, and these two aggressive squads offer plenty of options to help you make your NBA picks on PrizePicks. Just predict More or Less on NBA player projections and win money if you're right.
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